CGC raises $64,000 for Safe Haven Foundation through annual fundraiser

Posted on: Jody Production

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

CGC raised $64,000 this year through their annual Cowboy Corral fundraiser, in partnership with the Home Depot Foundation. This time around, the funds went to benefit Safe Haven, a Calgary-based organization which helps young women get off the street, develop life skills, and set themselves up for futures of success.

Photo Courtesy of CGC

CGC has once again partnered with the Home Depot Foundation to raise charitable funds through their annual Cowboy Corral Calgary Stampede Fundraiser. 

This time around, $64,000 was raised to support the Safe Haven Foundation, which aims to give young women a safe place to be off the street and set themselves up for success. 

“It is always an honour to come back and represent CGC and be part of the Stampede community, and we are very happy to help support a lot of local community members and organizations,” said Dwayne Van Duuren, plant manager for CGC Wheatland County. 

In areas where CGC operates, each team respectively participates in their “Give Local” program, through which organizations are selected annually to benefit from large-scale fundraising efforts. 

He added CGC reaches out annually to longstanding partners to get the word out, looking for new organizations to add to their roster. 

In previous years, the Cowboy Corral fundraiser has typically raised in the realm of $30,000 for its charity partner. 

Van Duuren has been a part of the Wheatland plant project since 2024, and CGC officially opened their local facility in June. 

Christina Lloyd, CEO of the Safe Haven Foundation, said it was an exciting prospect to be able to connect with CGC and be a part of their annual fundraiser this year. 

“The Safe Haven Foundation has been operating here in Calgary for 30 years, supporting girls and young women between the ages of 14 to 26 who are in the very early stages of experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness,” she explained. “We are very much a preventative program. We believe in showing up before homelessness takes root in that very small sliver of time where we have the greatest opportunity to change the trajectory of their lives.”

The foundation operates two programs which aim to support young women in identifying their goals, support them in healing, and exercise life skills in order to be better prepared for self-sufficiency. 

“We have an annual operating budget of just under $1 million typically, so ($64,000) is a big deal to us, and that is going to go towards life changing coaching that could fund the education programs and bursaries that pay the tuition to get our youth on a path that is going to unlock so many different opportunities for them that will change their lives,” she said. 

To date, Safe Haven has been able to support over 130 girls and young women. Beyond their programs, Lloyd added the goal is for these women to impact their relationships and workplaces, and break cycles of generational trauma.